Naruto Infinite: Neo Dawn
by panda-kun77
Summary: Working for a clandestine organization has its thrills and perks, but when Naruto is given the rare ability to pilot an I-S he is sent to the I-S Academy on a high profile mission: Aid Tabane Shinonono on her crazy endeavors. Will he succeed? Find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I hold no ownership over Naruto and Infinite Stratos (IS). They belong to their respective creators and publishers.

**A/N:** Hello light! Lol, hey guys, hope you're having a good day so far. I just like to leave this right here for you all to enjoy as you wait for the other authors of this crossover category to update. I know I'm seriously late and I apologize for that so I hope you all will have fun reading this!

And yes, I'm a jerk for taking so long, but I can't hold a cup against the other authors for this crossover x3! They're too fast while I'm slow as a slug, taking my sweet ass time writing, OTL.

Oh well, just read on folks!

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><p><strong>Naruto Infinite: Neo Dawn<strong>

**Prologue: Show Time!**

* * *

><p>It was supposed to be your typical average morning for one Uzumaki Naruto. He'd wake up a little late as per usual, eat a hearty breakfast made for two, tidy his apartment a bit as he prepared for the day, and avoid any traps he may encounter on the way out. Toss in his routine greetings with a few friends and expect the day to go about with vigorous training, merry mischief, another round of training, a peaceful lunch—hopefully— and then some more training, hurray! Afterwards, exhausted and perhaps satisfied with the day's results, he'd return home and go about his evening ritual of dinner…homework… and games, before finally hitting the hay; rinse and repeat.<p>

That was how today, like any other day, _should've_ gone.

So how—you might ask— is today any different?

It's because today he awoke to a very unusual and startling sight.

"Hinata-chan? W-WHY ARE YOU IN MY BED?"

Finding a gorgeous girl cuddling up to him with nothing but a large long-sleeve dress shirt hiding her ample chest is considered 'unusual' and 'startling,' right? It should!

"Mmm… Naruto-kun?"

Vainly trying to resist drinking in the voluptuous female lying before him, the blonde frantically untangled himself from her grasp and hopped off the bed. Unfortunately, this had the undesired affect of shifting the blankets aside and treating him to a gracious amount of fan-service in the form of smooth milky legs and a racy pair of pure white panties hugging her shapely buns. The view was simply magnificent and looks sooooo good to…

"GAH!"

Naruto hastily covered her with his blanket and immediately spun away to prevent further thoughts from venturing off into explicit territory. His little buddy did _not_ need the extra stimulation right now. Nope, not one bit!

"Hina-chan, wake up!"

"Mm…" The dark haired beauty stretched in a manner similar to a cat before covering her mouth modestly to stifle a yawn. "Naru-kun… *yawn*… awake yet?"

"Yea, thanks to you! What were you thinking sleeping next to me?" The blonde asked anxiously with his back to her. "You nearly gave me a heart-attack!"

"Really?" Naruto could practically sense her head tilt to the side cutely as curious eyes remained half-lidded from sleep. "I just followed what Kiba-kun suggested earlier. He said this will get you up faster than I could say 'Ramen.' But I guess I fell asleep before I could go through with it."

_Kiba, you damn mutt!_

Cursing his fellow prankster for the stupid stunt, Naruto began feeling the ground for his cell phone, having seen it land nearby... "What's the big deal waking me up like that though? A bucket of cold water would've been fine. Hell, toss a practice kunai at my head and I'll be out of bed just the same."

There was a long pause as Hinata shuffled around the bed behind him.

"Naru-kun, you know how much I dislike those type of methods." She finally answered. "The others might find that effective but I prefer a more favorable approach in waking you. It just so happens that today is a special case and Kiba-kun's idea seemed fitting enough to try…"

"Obviously it's not a very good one, Hina-chan. A bad role-model _and_ an even horrible person for asking advice—don't go to him anymore!"

The blue haired beauty giggled. "You two get along rather well despite that. And besides, he was at least right about your reaction, Naru-kun."

The blonde groaned and tried his best to cover his embarrassment. "Hina-chan…"

"Alright, alright. I'll stop. *giggles* Anyways, I'm clothed now so feel free to look."

The blonde cautiously glanced back and found—to his immense relief and dismay—that she was indeed dressed. She now wore a baggy light-blue jacket with grey sleeves in place of the white dress shirt from earlier. Her legs were covered by a pair of form fitting jeans whose navy blue color seem faded around the thighs. And finishing this casual image was a matching sky-blue scrunchie that she skillfully tied near the end of her long hair.

She gave him a wink and asked. "How do I look?"

Naruto grinned and held up a thumb in approval. "Lovely as always, Hina-chan."

She smiled warmly in return as her cheeks colored a healthy pink. "Thank you!"

Taking a moment to stretch, the blonde teen checked the time on his cell and frowned. "So what brings you here so early? Today's my day off from training and I got no missions lined up for another couple weeks. Does Baa-chan want to see me or something…? Maybe your Tou-san (Dad/father… I believe)?"

Hinata frowned at him confusedly before realization dawned on her. She blushed and bopped her head lightly. "I've forgotten how absentminded you can sometimes be, Naru-kun."

"Hey!"

Ignoring his pout, Hinata made her way towards the open window and sat on the sill. "Today is the day you transfer to a certain famous Academy, isn't it?" Naruto blinked confusedly. "… Naru-kun, being clueless and unaware is a very dangerous thing in our line of work. Please don't tell me you've already forgotten what happened just a couple months ago."

"I don't follow, Hina-chan."

A pause.

"Does 'girl pilots' ring any bells?"

"Um, no…?"

She frowned and continued. "How about your childhood friend Rin?"

"What about her? Is it her birthday already?" Naruto glanced at his calendar before muttering. "… Doesn't look like it…"

"…" The busty teen fell silent.

"Hina-chan?"

"Oh Naru-kun… you're such a Baka (idiot/stupid in Japanese). I feel sorry for Rin-chan." Giggling once more, Hinata pointed to a poster of a familiar brunette wearing a purple suit of armor that hung on the wall above his desk. "Two words: 'Infinite Stratos.'"

At first the blonde didn't react. He stood contemplating her words as if finding it difficult to comprehend. But when he finally did get the message his eyes widened into saucers.

"W-what time…?"

"Around 10 a.m." Hinata answered after glancing at her cell phone. "Kakashi-sensei and the others will be waiting for you by the northern docks so I suggest you hurry."

Fumbling for his cell phone, the blonde double checked the time and nearly screamed in alarm.

"SHIIIIT! I'M GONNA BE LATE!"

* * *

><p>Orimura Chifuyu, renowned IS pilot and champion of Mondos Grosso, sat silently on a bench beneath a tree. In front of her lay a vast blue ocean stretching up to the horizon as passing clouds floated aimlessly in the sky. Accompanying this scenery was the ever present music of nature that played harmoniously behind her. She could make out the chirping of birds in the distance, the rustling leaves of the surrounding forest, and the numerous sounds of the wild life traversing the cool winds. If she was to describe what she felt right now it would be "pleasantly content."<p>

Today was turning out to be rather peaceful thus far. So it was to her great surprise when a brownish cat sprung out from the nearby brushes and proceeded to take shelter on her vacant lap.

"Hm?"

Chifuyu glances down on her guest curiously before a ragtag group of kids, sporting black colored clothes, dropped down from above. They were huffing and gasping for breath as they angrily eyed the only cowering feline around.

"Found ye, ye stupid—Oh, sorry ma'am!"

The black haired woman frowned. "Is this your pet?"

"That little monster ain't ours, nee-chan." The shortest of the three kids answered, folding his arms over his chest and countering her frown with a grin. "She's been giving us hell for trying to catch her. Hehe, I can't wait to see her suffocate lat—UGH!"

A blow to the gut silenced him before he could finish. The perpetrator stood beside him, shaking her hand in distaste and watching as he crumpled to the ground nursing his stomach. Chifuyu watched with perked brows at the scene and grew slightly disturbed when the young girl turned to her.

"Please excuse my friend." She apologized with a bow. "We've been out here for awhile now and I'm afraid he's become delusional with harming cute little kittens."

"That ain't true!" The boy groaned out, only to be silenced by another punch.

The girl continued without further pause. "What he really meant to say is that we've been searching for that cat you have their. The owner had asked us to retrieve her earlier so we'd really, really appreciate it if you handed her over to us. "

The former IS champion glanced down on her current occupant then back up at the patient kids waiting for her. They certainly looked worse for wear if their dirtied faces and partially torn skirt or shorts was any indication of a rough chase around the forest behind her. She would've questioned them on what they were doing leaping off of trees so casually but silently reminded herself of where she was. A secluded Island filled with _unusual _inhabitants.

It took Chifuyu several moments to consider her options before finally surrendering the cat over. The poor feline was crying and frantically trying to return to her arms, thrashing wildly in a desperate bid to escape the tight hold of her eager captors. Chifuyu looked away to prevent from feeling guilty of whatever doom she may have unintentionally condemned the feline to. God knows what would happen to the poor animal…

The kids, minus the groaning boy on the ground, smiled maliciously at their target before bowing politely at the older woman.

"Thanks a lot onee-chan! We would have been stuck chasing her from dawn till dusk if it weren't for you." The girl then gestured to her other male companion towards their groaning comrade. "We hope you enjoy your day. Take care!"

Chifuyu watched with veiled interest as they secured the cat and prepared to leave. It was not everyday she'd get a chance to observe one of the world's mythical legends at wor—

"Fine day… neh, Chifuyu-sama?"

The sudden question startled Chifuyu and immediately whipped her attention to the side. She found a masked man casually sitting on the other end of the bench and hefting what looked like one of Shinonono Tabane's favorite pocket books. Those particular orange ones she's glimpsed in just about every bookstore in Japan. At first she looked on in confusion before recognition flash through her eyes. With that in mind she eagerly returned to watching the kids…

"…"

… Who were nowhere in sight.

Chifuyu blinked owlishly.

They were gone; simply vanished without a single trace. All that was left was a dozen or so leaves scattered to the winds and a heavy feeling of disappointment weighing her shoulders.

"Sorry for the delay." The man continued, oblivious to her mood. "Stuff happened this morning. I got called to the office by my boss and then winded up humoring a persistent friend of mines on the way here. I never got a chance to catch a break afterwards. Problems seemed to sprout left and right."

Chifuyu would've believed half of his excuses if it weren't for the way he leisurely flipped a page of his orange book while giggling perversely. No ounce of honesty came from that. Additionally, his black suit didn't give her the impression of a professional man doing his job. In fact, the black mask and slanted bandana he wore seemed out of place in this modern era. Granted, its evidence of his true occupation, however, it only served to make him look odd and suspicious…

"I suppose you'd like to postpone our meeting for later and take a moment to relax?" She inquired flatly.

"A nice thought that I wouldn't mind one bit. However, duty comes first." Snapping his book shut, the man stood to his full height. "Let's head over to your plane, shall we? We'll talk on the way there."

"Very well."

Joining his side they proceeded to the docks sedately, taking care to keep a professional distance from each other as they walked.

"First off, I hope your stay here was pleasant." The silver haired man began. "Tsunade-sama, once more, expresses her gratitude for your continued cooperation, and deeply apologizes for not seeing you off in person. There was an urgent matter that required her immediate attention this morning and so left the island by boat about half an hour ago."

Chifuyu waved the news off understandingly. "Work is work. I'd be disappointed if she didn't do her job properly."

"Right then… where should I start?" Kakashi asked thoughtfully. "About several weeks ago we notified you about a certain incident regarding an I-S training simulation. Do you happen to remember the reports we've sent you?"

"From the old fashion pigeon post to the formal e-mail sent a few days after? Yes, I do. From what I can recall, Tsunade-san requested admittance for another pilot to the I-S Academy. She specifically asked for my assistance and thus brought me here to discuss things in detail." She paused for breath and studied her companion for a moment. "You're new boss was quite the interesting woman, Kakashi. Drinking sake during work and then playing hooky every few hours… we hardly had time to focus on the main point of my visit."

The man just shrugged in response. "Happens to the rest of us. We learned its best to deal with her secretary whenever she's available, saves us a lot of trouble…."

"True enough." Chifuyu agreed, having met the kind brunette on her first day here. Shizune was far more reliable and efficient than her boss… _I wonder if their Organization will be alright…_

"You've at least been informed of the situation, correct?" Kakashi asked, uncertain.

She nodded. "We dealt with that at the first meeting, thankfully enough. The rest is simple: I'm to verify this girl's qualifications and asses the I-S she piloted. If things go accordingly we can head for the Academy as early as today." When Kakashi remained silent she frowned and asked. "Something wrong?"

The man nodded very slowly as if reluctant to answer. "I'm afraid that Tsunade-sama deliberately excluded—or I should say, 'Altered'—certain details regarding our I-S pilot. And it seems she left me to handle this problem… hah…" He mumbled at the end.

Chifuyu sighed in annoyance. "… Why am I not surprised?"

"Don't know… getting accustomed to our ways, perhaps?" Kakashi quipped jokingly. "That humor aside, I apologize in behalf of Tsunade-sama. We never intended to deceive you, Chifuyu-sama, it's just that circumstances forced us to do so." He paused to consider what to say next. "I guess I'll correct that mistake now and be up front with you. The pilot we're sending to the I-S academy is no female."

Now _that_ caught Chifuyu's attention almost instantly. "You don't mean…?"

The tall man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "What you're thinking is correct. The pilot is indeed a male, and just happens to be a whacky student of mine."

"… That's… that's quite surprising, actually. I considered possibilities of a second male pilot before, but this is …"

"I know. Believe me when I say I was beyond shocked when I found out about it months ago." Kakashi agreed. "I literally had my jaw hanging from behind my mask at that time. It was a first for me to see an actual male able to pilot those I-S, and since this is my student were talking about here—a total newbie—his first flight was a disaster for all of us. He nearly threw the village into chaos."

"Wait a minute." Chifuyu cut in. "What do you mean 'months ago'? I thought this happened several weeks earlier?"

"That's one of the altered details I mentioned..."

The former I-S champion frowned sharply at him. "You should have deferred him to us the moment he activated the I-S, and immediately send him to the Academy! Just what type of activities has your organization been doing with him, Kakashi?"

By now her stern gaze had morphed into a deep scowl, clearly distasteful at the revelation.

"Easy there, Chifuyu-sama, nothing happened. You know we have reasons for delaying his enrollment." He gestured to their surroundings. The natural forest to the side mingled with the industrial sidewalks lit with holo-signs as passing people travelled through the wide path. Chifuyu noticed a few of the adults wore exact replicas of Kakashi's outfit and were silently tailing them from a fair distance away. Another pair of black suits walked further ahead of them with not a single glance drawn their way. They were all strangely ignored as if they were a common occurrence. "Please remember where we are and what we do. Our organization is not the type to enjoy basking in limelight like some Idol Companies out there. We prefer roaming in the shadows where it's peaceful and secluded."

Keeping a careful eye on the extra company she acquired, Chifuyu spoke softly in a leveled voice. "Regardless, Kakashi, you should have contacted me sooner. Now what do you suppose will happen once I break this news to my superiors? The media and government will come down hard on your student—and by proxy you and your organization will get involved."

"This is precisely the reason why we withheld telling you the truth until now." Kakashi stated. "We needed some time and a trustworthy person to work with us."

They turned down a narrow path and onto a winding stairs before reaching the wooden planks of an old trail. The ocean still remained near and in clear view, but with boats of various types cruising about. The path at this point was familiar to Chifuyu after having passed through the very same route numerous times earlier. Another few minutes and they would reach the docks.

"Truthfully, your brother Ichika was the primary reason why we chose to remain silent about this." He confessed. "Having seen the level of attention he's garnered in such a short time we figured some preparations were necessary before we did anything else."

Chifuyu glanced skeptically at him. "I doubt those would be enough to prevent the inevitable. Our governments are too stubborn and persistent for that."

"Well, I'm not too concerned about it. The two months gave us plenty of time to develop countermeasures." He gave a modest shrug and added. "If those fail we can always make do and adapt. My organization is quite capable, after all."

"… Let's hope you're plans will hold then. The world will be watching your student with keen eyes, just as they're doing now with my brother. You can expect reporters and journalists alike to follow after, storming this island without prior warning or restraint."

"We'll keep that in mind." Kakashi assured her. "The only problem we have now lies with my student, unfortunately. He's as likely to welcome them with open arms as opposed to keeping a tight lip."

His amused chuckle was infectious as Chifuyu felt her lips twitch upwards ever so slightly. More and more she was becoming curious of this upcoming pilot. And it was in that instant that she discovered something glaringly crucial.

"I really should've called this out from the start, but who exactly is this student of yours? You keep referring to 'him' or 'he' and yet I still don't know 'his' name…"

Kakashi snickered. "Hehe, I was wondering when you'd catch that." Taking a few steps forward he stopped and looked back at her. "The male pilot—my student… I believe you're already well acquainted with him. He's built quite the reputation as the most unpredictable boy you'll ever meet. I wouldn't be surprised if you picked up his moniker back there."

"?" Chifuyu tilted her head to the side inquisitively and tried to recall any young boys she might know in the past. The way that Kakashi mentioned him narrowed it down to two possibilities: One was a red headed friend of her brothers and the other was a blonde idio—

Her eyes widened slightly as a groan escaped her lips. "Oh no, not him—It can't be him."

Kakashi's onyx eye sparkled with amusement as he looked on quietly.

"There's only one hyperactive knuckleheaded brat that I'm familiar with." Chifuyu turned to gaze out onto the ocean in silent resignation. "Uzumaki Naruto… Kami have mercy on me."

* * *

><p>"Have mercy on me!"<p>

Those were the pitiful words of one Uzumaki Naruto as he fled from the horrendous horde of black suited masked-men hounding him. They bounded from tree to tree just as he had been doing, but wielding pitchforks and torches similar to those angry mobs that hunted the hideous monstrosity known as Frankenstein of some old western movie. At the very least they weren't shouting for his death like some villagers he knew…

Still, the blonde could not fathom exactly why they were emulating such a thing in the first place, and even stranger as to the reason they're chasing him. They should be using the standard weapons that he knew they held within their person instead of those farm tools. Not that he'd like them to use those. It's a blessing enough that they haven't chucked flames and wicked knives at him so far.

"Run faster they're gaining on us!"

Of course, let's not forget the overtly ecstatic woman tagging along, riding his back all too cheerfully and giving no concern to this stressing issue!

"Don't start it you crazy Usagi (bunny)! This is your fault to begin with!"

Ducking beneath a branch low enough to accommodate his unwanted passenger's height, Naruto fleeted towards a cluster of wild brushes in hopes of losing their pursuers in the thick wooden canopy that lay beyond it.

"Mou, but I wanted to visit you." His 'passenger' huffed, metallic bunny ears fidgeting in the air. "Don't be so mean, Na-kun~!"

"Those guys appearing to chase me for no apparent reason, and then you dropping out of the sky to ride my back like I'm some kind of kiddy ride— of course I'll be mean! Just what the hell, Usagi! I think they got even worst when you showed up…"

The woman stuck her tongue out cutely as she rubbed the back of her head in the most sheepish manner she could muster in her position. "I may have stirred their little hive not too long ago, hehe."

If his hands weren't preoccupied at the moment he'd palm his face. "You know, ever since I met you, you've been nothing but trouble. Can you not give me anymore today?"

Shinonono Tabane simply giggled in reply just as a barrage of gleaming knives zipped by, lodging themselves on the tree trunks with audible 'thunks.' She took notice and felt Naruto spin around to engage the nearest pursuer in a small bout of combat. He did the kicking while his enemy, a rather burly masked man, met his attack with gloved fists. They traded blows as they weaved in and out of brushes—an action that Tabane found positively exhilarating if not rightly entertaining.

"You're quite skilled, Na-kun." She commented as he leaned back to avoid the knife aimed at his throat. "Ever thought of working for me?"

"Not after the first couple trial missions you gave me!" He answered in between maneuvers. "All I got for my troubles was a measly 2,000 yen! That's nothing compared to what other clients paid up front…"

When a lucky kick sent his opponent careening towards the others, he leaped further back and disappeared into the mass of leaves above them. Taking the chance to catch his breath, he adjusted Tabane more securely onto his back and reached for his pockets. He dropped several smoke bombs to cover their escape and fled to the dense plethora of tall grass below them.

"You should reconsider." Tabane continued as if the past actions didn't register. "I'll pay you hourly this time and provide some actual benefits."

The blonde sighed. "How about we talk about this later? We're still being chased if you hadn't noticed."

Tabane glanced behind her and frowned. "I don't see them though…"

Not a second too soon did a giant explosion ripped through the trees from either side of them. Numerous shadows flew from the dark plumes of smoke, quickly surrounding them in a crude circle. Naruto had to leap back to avoid being skewered by the enemy in front of him. Those giant pitchforks were too damn pointy, and sharp if they managed to trim the grass so cleanly.

"Do you see them now?" He asked sarcastically once things settled into a tense standoff.

"Ah, yes I do. But I'm curious as to how they created those explosions…" Tabane mused as their pursuers shifted around their spot, no doubt preparing for an attack. "I don't see any sort of RPGs or grenades on them—maybe their using miniature missile launchers?"

"Read the situation you clueless bunny!" The poor blonde pleaded vainly. He was very close to losing it with her. "Why is it that I feel so smart when I'm with you and dumb when I'm not? It's driving me nuts!"

Tabane merely cocked her head to the side in thought before rubbing her cheeks affectionately on his. "It's because Na-kun is awesome like that."

He slumped in defeat as he shook his head depressingly. There was no reasoning with this woman. "I give up, I give up!"

Their pursuers descended upon them…

**BOOM!**

…And promptly got blown back several dozen yards away.

Naruto stared.

The remaining others stared.

And Tabane whistled a happy tune while shouldering a large purple bazooka with one hand, evidently admiring her work in an almost childish fascination.

"Wow, they went pretty far…"

Too stunned to reply, Naruto could only nod in agreement. Those guys flew like birds…

_But seriously, where the hell did this crazy Bunny get that weapon?_

* * *

><p>"They're late."<p>

"Indeed."

Kakashi pause from his reading to peer at Chifuyu who sat opposite of him and languidly stirring her tea. They were relaxing at a local tea house near the docks and were waiting for their blonde charge to arrive. Needless to say, he had shown up in the past thirty or so minutes since they've settled down and had eaten lunch. The agents accompanying them also seemed to be getting impatient as well. The way they shifted around their respective post gave away they're restlessness.

"Are you sure you didn't give him the wrong time?" The woman asked.

He idly flipped a page as he spoke. "He'll be here. I've already sent some reassurance in case he doesn't."

His conversation didn't get anywhere else as one of his agents approached him from a table nearby. She strode with a purpose and stopped close enough to speak to him in a low voice.

"We've located Uzumaki-dono but he appears to have gotten into a bit of a mess…"

"ROOT?"

His subordinate nodded grimly. "What's your orders?"

Kakashi mentally sighed, but didn't break from his reading. He had expected this to happen sometime ago ever since Naruto was bumped up from low rank operative to VIP status.

"Proceed accordingly." He ordered softly as Chifuyu stared at them curiously. "I'll see Chifuyu-sama off now while there's still time. How much do we have till they get here?"

"I estimate about five-minutes, give or take three."

The masked man hummed. "Go then."

With a nod the woman vanished in a puff of smoke as others nearby began leaving in a similar fashion, startling Chifuyu in the process. She glanced around bewilderingly and alert as Kakashi stood up and motioned for the remaining operatives forward. This time they wore varying porcelain masks concealing their identity, and were armed with sheathed Katanas and what looked like firearms holstered at their hips. Curiously, they all sported a white armband with a symbol she couldn't describe and the kanji for 'fire' etched on them.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing that you need to worry too much about." Kakashi replied cheerfully. "Plans changed a bit so we're just having you leave a little earlier than expected. Now if you'll follow us this way."

"But what about Uzumaki and the I-S?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes, I'm sure. Right now I need to get you ready to go."

Frowning, she allowed herself to be ushered to her plane that waited for them at the far end of the docks. Something fishy was going on but she had no idea what it was. Her 'escorts' seemed tense and a little more alert then she had seen so far. The way they kept glancing around at the sea and at the forest led her to suspect trouble heading their way. Kakashi on the other hand…

"Himeko-chan!" He perversely giggled as he buried his face deep in his book. "You're so cute."

…has remained the same.

"Kakashi…" Chifuyu spoke, eyes twitching irately at his behavior. "Seriously, you…"

"Incoming!"

The warning came just in time as their wooden path was suddenly blown away by an explosion.

"What in the…?"

"Defensive formation!" Kakashi barked out.

The dozen or so men and women following them immediately shot into action just as numerous cloaked figures emerged from the forest and ocean.

Chifuyu barely registered his movements as he scooped her into his arms bridal style and vaulted over the gaping wreckage obstructing them. He landed lightly on the other side and swiftly whipped out a hand to snatch several gleaming shards from the air. They looked like polished throwing knives of some sort. She chanced a glance towards the tea house out of pure curiosity and found a near unbelievable sight awaiting her.

The sound of gun fire and clashing of metal filled the once tranquil atmosphere of the docks. Fires of sentient nature washed across the ocean surface as several figures were engaged in heated combat. They darted about in unnatural quickness as pillars of stone erupted from the ground in an attempt to hamper them. Others were fighting atop the tea house with guns blazing and katanas locking in sparks. There were even large trees sprouting from the ground in a ridiculous rate, forming and shaping the battlefield into another section of the island's greenery.

She saw Kakashi's forces took to the risen trees and once more collided with the intruders in a fearless clash. Multiple explosions and balls of fire erupted in all sides, lighting their new environment like a Christmas tree as flashes of white and yellow flickered everywhere. If Chifuyu wasn't still up close it'd really look like a big Christmas tree from a distance.

It was such a surreal sight that had Chifuyu staring strangely enthralled. She had never witnessed such a battle before. It was like something straight out of those fantasy games that her brother played often; the one where supernatural powers were the norm and battles always involved swords, magic, and villains bent on world destruction.

"We're not going to be able to get things done, are we….?" She finally concluded.

"I'm afraid so." Kakashi smiled apologetically from behind his mask. He then placed her down on her feet and withdrew a silver handgun from within his suit. "Please hurry to your plane and prepare to leave." He instructed while his eyes were transfixed on the raging battle before them. "If Naruto doesn't get here within the next minute or so then we'll just have to reschedule things some other time. It's already become too dangerous for you to remain here for any longer."

He was right as a torrent of flames shot out towards them like a raging serpent readying to devour its prey. He reacted quickly by tossing his weapon into the air and clapping his hands together in a familiar gesture. His fingers then blurred into motion as he went through a long sequence of hand signs foreign to Chifuyu's knowledge.

A moment later, giant pillars of water erupted from the sea to intercept the offending flames. The opposing elements clashed like angered gods, colliding with such a force that it shook the floor beneath them. Chifuyu hadn't bother to move from her spot—too awed at the scene happening before her—until the massive heat of the steam wash over them, obscuring her vision for the moment and forcing her to take some involuntary step back.

_This is truly unbelievable…._ She thought.

"Chifuyu-sama, I suggest you hurry." Kakashi called out amidst the clearing steam.

"It'll take a few minutes to start things up so buy me a bit of time." Chifuyu replied as she hurried to the plane.

Her original pilot was currently engaging they're enemies so that left her to navigate the controls. There were so many buttons and switches inside the cockpit that anyone without much experience would've panic upon first sight. She was thankful for the fact that she wasn't one of those people, fortunately enough.

The engine soon roared to life just as she buckled down and assumed her pilot's role.

"Alright, I'm ready over here. Has Naruto shown up yet?" She yelled out the window.

Kakashi landed beside it with a noticeable smile behind his mask. "He's already here."

A flash of gold and purple flew inside, crashing onto the back seats of the plane, followed by the audible groans of pain and… delight?

"Na-kun, you're so forward!" Chirped an all too familiar voice.

Chifuyu glanced back at her passengers and blinked. "…Tabane?"

There, sitting atop a young blonde teen, was the ever bubbly Tabane Shinonono. And the moment she was spotted did Tabane brightened in appearance as she made move to glomp her from behind her seat. All the while crying out "Chi-chan!" endlessly.

"Tabane, you—stop! Now is not the time!"

"But Chi-chan it's so good to see you!"

While the two got reacquainted with each other, the blonde teen sat up in relief. He was sore all over from running and appeared to be more than a little peeved at a certain someone. Kakashi had to hold back a chuckle once he entered to assist him, checking to see for any injuries while keeping track of the happenings outside.

"You had it rough this morning, huh Naruto?"

"Yea, real rough…" The boy grumbled as he nursed his head. "You should have warned me about _those_ guys coming after me! I nearly got sacked!"

This time Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle humouredly. "Ma ma, don't be like that. Think of it as training and go along with it. Besides, you got away in one piece so be proud."

The blonde took a swing at him and missed. "I'll show you some training…" He fumed afterwards.

Kakashi gave him a patented eye-smile as he patted his head. "Same old Naruto." He turned to the struggling women at the front and cleared his throat. "It'd be a good idea to leave now that everyone is present, Chifuyu-sama."

"Working on it—Tabane let me go! I've got to pilot this thing." Chifuyu growled as she shoved Tabane's face away from her own. "Go bother Uzumaki!"

The purple haired woman pouted before directing her attention to the nervous looking teen at the back. Kakashi watched with amusement as Tabane maneuvered over to occupy the seat next to the blonde and proceeded to latch onto him like an over affectionate child was to her father. The blonde facepalmed at his predicament and groaned loudly.

"Not again…"

Smiling, Kakashi pulled out a small orange scroll and held out it towards him. "Here, take this with you Naruto. I won't be seeing you for awhile so make sure you do your homework and study that carefully."

The teen accepted it gratefully and secured it in his pocket. But before he can say anything else, an explosion interrupted them. Kakashi glanced outside to see that quite a few of his subordinates had taken up defensive positions near them and were in the process of fending off a wave of enemies. He had little time now and so jumped off the plane and closed the door behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried out.

He smiled and gave him a wink. "I know this is abrupt and you haven't said your goodbyes, but there's no time for that now."

"It's not that, sensei." The blonde said anxiously. "You sat on one of my explosive tags!"

Now that caused the silver haired man to stagger comically to the side, before righting himself and shouting back indignantly. "Say what!"

Patting his pants frantically for the tag, he found it stuck on one of his back pockets, causing him to let out a groan of frustration. This was not a good way to say goodbye to someone, and he voiced this out to the young blonde. Naruto merely grinned apologetically in return as he scratched his cheeks.

"I was going to use that earlier, but forgot all about it when Anko-nee and the others found us." He confessed. "You can peel it off and use it if you want. The code is Tora."

Kakashi sighed. "Next time Naruto? Don't leave your stuff out. It'll be quite hazardous to others if you do."

"You got it sensei!"

"Buckle up Uzumaki, I'm getting us out of here." Chifuyu called out.

"Roger!" Giving one last farewell to his sensei, Naruto disappeared from the window.

True to her words, the plane accelerated within moments, reaching the top speed in an unnatural quickness before eventually lifting up from the coursing waves after several long meters. Kakashi watched them take off into the sky for a moment before turning to face the intensifying battle behind him. There were still enemies left, but he was proud to see that most of his subordinates remained alive and well. Proudly, he walked forwards and lifted a hand to his black bandana, casually pulling it up to reveal his scarred skin and crimson eye to the world.

In a casual show of style he struck a pose beside his present team and uttered one of the most cliché lines ever known in the history of man.

"Ladies and gentlemen… It's show time."

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue end<strong>

* * *

><p>What do you guys think? Was it an enjoyable read? Let me know via review! I'll be working on my other fics and art in the meantime, and perhaps post up another non-crossover story like my <em>Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka?<em> (an awesome show btw! Go watch it, it's hilarious! You'll fall over laughing your butt off too! I know I did.) I'd probably hit the Hidan no Aria section if so.

Now perhaps I should tell you some of the other fics I'm thinking of making.

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn x Zero no Tsukaima** (Familiar Zero)

~ Pairings might be Harem, but I'm leaning towards Tsuna x Henrietta or Tsuna x Tiffania. I'm hoping to make Tsuna older and more mature in this one.

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn x Negima**

~ For those who visit my DA account, I'm pretty sure you've already come across the one-page comic I drew for this type of crossover. It's still in the making and the pairings aren't decided just yet. The story will have a female-Negi and two male Protagonists (Tsuna and Enma… maybe Basil too, who knows.)

**Hidan no Aria**

~ I'm actually in love with that series. I like Kinji, he's an awesome dude lol and he goes well with the girls. So I'm thinking of just making this one a non-crossover fic with major Kinji awesomeness. That place could use some more fics too…

**Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka x Overlord **(the videogame)

~ I cannot stop cracking up on the ideas I have in mind for this one. Ayumu the Overlord is going to be badass and funny! Hopefully… Pairings for this one will definitely go for harem—the true harem route! And perhaps other categories will be mixed in.

**Full Metal Panic x Highschool of the Dead**

~Alright, I'm a fan of FMP and Sousuke Sagara, so I'm definitely gonna try this when I can. I'm hoping to incorporate FMP's humor/seriousness balance into the fic since this is all about zombies while toning down on the AS scenarios. I know FMP won't be complete without AS action, but quite frankly, if Sagara piloted Arbalist around then I'm sure he'll kill most of the zombie by either shooting them down or outright stomping them flat on the floor. Pairing wise… Idk, Sagara hasn't had a harem fic before ( I think)…

Too much stories you say? They're just ideas. I may or may not try 'em out.

Laters for now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I hold no ownership over Naruto and Infinite Stratos (IS). They belong to their respective creators and publishers.

Hey all! Sorry for the lateness. I have nothing much to say except that you might read the prologue if you hadn't yet. I gave it a proper one now instead of the teaser. Most importantly though, make sure to _READ THE AUTHORS NOTE_ at the **end of THIS chapter**. It's in your best _interest_ to. You'll like it (I hope.)

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto Infinite: Neo Dawn<strong>

Chapter 1: "Hello I-S Academy"

* * *

><p>The past several days after his "<em>lively"<em> departure from home went by relatively quick. He barely recalled stepping inside Chifuyu's humble abode before being whisked away by events nearly too blurry and hectic to comprehend. He attributed this particular problem to a certain purpled haired scientist, dubbed 'Bunny' for his own amusement, and her ridiculous schemes involving flashy adventures in a dangerous James Bond fashion.

When he agreed—with much reluctance—to her offer, he hadn't expected his work to begin so soon. The bubbly scientist had literally kidnapped him from Chifuyu's care and immediately set about a list of 'chores' they needed to do. Of course those so called 'chores' were anything but an easy stroll in the park. Quite literally, he had found himself scaling tall buildings in hopes of evading night patrols of some Yakuza group; giving piggy back rides for his employer during an intense chase; fighting off some mutant beasts found in an underground laboratory complex and then escorting her and her mountain of hardware/software bounty proved to be pretty troublesome. Considering these were all done in a span of two days, Naruto was downright exhausted—mentally that is—by the time he returned to his temporary home.

Don't get him wrong, he was a boundless bundle of energy and had the stamina to spare any number of missions that required hard labor, however, even he had his mental limits. Especially if you count the talkative and ever playful employer of his whose job was to accompany him in every dangerous task he undertook.

Thankfully enough, Chifuyu intervened and gave him a much needed reprieve from work. She spent a couple days observing his capabilities with an I-S as well as schooling him on rules and regulations of the Academy he was entering. There was a lot of information to take in, but he endured it. For one thing, Chifuyu wasn't the giddy affectionate type like Tabane and thus was considerably more tolerable. Her strict attitude reminded him of his old sensei, Iruka, in some levels when he was teaching him back then, albeit Chifuyu was more on the cold side of things when it came to instructing him on certain I-S operations. Despite this, she had a soft side hidden behind her façade of indifference and allowed him time for his own activities once everything was finalized.

Naruto had then eagerly tackled his sensei's scroll the final day before he made his I-S debut, and discovered an immense load of instructions and assignments of varying details awaiting him. Some involved reminders of certain dates and events that required his attendance, while others pertained to deeply coded messages meant to be disposed of later once he had committed them to memory. It was tedious, but a requirement in his line of work. When those had been settled he spent the remainder of the night chatting with an old friend who he was eager to see once more.

The next day came soon enough, with clear blue skies accompanied by cool winds just as he stepped out onto the empty streets. Chifuyu had left earlier for a meeting with some government officials and thus left him in the care of his bubbly scientist/boss. He was just getting ready to wonder around the neighborhood when she appeared out of thin air in a dazzling array of colors and habitually clung to his arm.

"It's still too early for you to go, Na-kun~!" She said in her usual cheery tone. "Why don't we spend a bit of time together?"

The teen let out a mental groan and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Haven't we done enough of that already?"

"Don't be a party pooper." She pouted playfully and pulled him along. "That was that and this is this. I'm not going to send you on another errand just because Chi-chan isn't here, but I do plan on making sure you spend lots of time with me. I won't be seeing much of you so play with me some."

Jerking him to the direction of the tallest buildings found within the city, Naruto fell into steps with her and pointed out: "You'll stick out like sort thumb if we hang out as you are. Can't you do something about you're appearance?"

Softly humming, Tabane swiped a hand across the air and watched as a blue tinged screen popped into view. Her fingers glided through transparent keys with graceful ease before punching in the 'enter' button. In a blink of an eye, her usual attire was replaced with a long dark grey sweater and dark knee-length socks that were a snug fit. It was the type of clothes that accentuated her well endowed figure and begged any onlookers the question of whether she was wearing shorts, a skirt, or nothing at all down below. And at the top of her head sat a matching black cap; large in size with stylish badges decorating part of one side. They almost matched the ones hanging on her leather boots.

"Good enough?" She asked, peering at him from beneath her cap. The blonde was tempted to admit she was cute with the look she fostered, but let out a light cough instead.

"Better." He allowed. "But before we go, you gotta remember that I need to be at the academy no later than two. I still got to unpack and stuff for tomorrow's classes."

Truth be told, while he was officially an I-S pilot in the records, his status has yet to be publicized. This was the setup that Chifuyu managed to manipulate with what little influence she had over the media and government (capable as she is.) The main idea behind this was to ensure his safety from certain groups and allow him some time to prepare himself—'a calm before the storm' sort of thing.

He could already feel the upcoming confrontations with the other major underground Organizations existing around the world. It won't be pretty.

"We'll just shop a bit and check out some of the local stores near the southern district. That shouldn't take more than two hours at most and allow us time to grab some lunch at Momoyamas."

His watch read 7:00 am so if he factored in traveling time and estimated the shopping she's going to do… "I guess that's alright. Lead the way."

Sometime later the pair stepped out of a clothing store carrying a few bags on each hand, sporting looks of satisfaction and mild amusement, respectively. Naruto plopped down a nearby bench and set his own bags next to him while Tabane stood standing just to the side. They were surrounded by busy shoppers and students alike that were headed to the various stores that crowded the street of the shopping district they were in. He spotted some guys at a corner giving Tabane a rather 'admiring' look, but didn't place much thought in their intentions. He'll set them straight if they did try anything beyond just looking.

As he glanced around for anything suitable to cure his growing boredom, the purple haired woman reached out to tug at his sleeves. He affixed his gaze to her ever present smile and tilted his head to the side in silent askance.

"You feeling hungry, Na-kun?"

"A little bit." He admitted with a shrug. "Do you want to break now and grab a bite to eat?"

Tabane shook her head. "Not yet. I was hoping we can stop by that store over there to grab some books." Her slender hand gestured to a store sitting by the corner some yards away; the one that had posters of anime and popular manga decorating it's windows and glass door. "Volume 4 of _Icha-Icha: Pleasure Island_ came out a couple days ago, so I've been dying to get my hands on a copy."

Her following squeal of excitement accompanied Naruto's comical trip to the floor at her admittance, and it took a long moment to compose himself onto his seat. He really should have seen that coming. "Do I have to come with you? I can just watch our stuff here while you go ahead and buy that… thing."

"What are you saying? Of course you have to! Don't you want to honor you're sensei's greatest work of art and get yourself one?" She asked eagerly.

The blonde snorted in return. Like hell he'd buy that smut. He helped create those novels by means of editing and revisions—he practically co-authored the entirely new series, even. So what's the point in getting one when he already knew the plot and such?

Tabane was disturbingly silent for a moment before breaking into the biggest smile he's ever seen on anyone. "Really? You helped write _Icha-Icha: Pleasure Island?_?"

Apparently he said his thoughts aloud… that was supposed to be a secret!

"Oh man…" He moaned into his hands. "Me and my big mouth."

The purpled haired woman whooped with joy as she gleefully plotted herself onto his lap. She rubbed cheeks with his several times while showering him with questions about her favorite series and appraising him for his collaborated work. Naruto had to practically pry her off to stem the pitiful excuse of Killing-Intent wafting off of the few single-males eying them enviously.

"Okay, okay!" He agreed. "Let's go buy your smut."

"Oh, but you already got your own Copy, right? Right?" She asked. "Let me have that so you don't have to waste money."

"_Now_ you want me to conserve money after buying all these clothes?" He shook his head exasperatedly before letting out a tired sigh. "Sorry to disappoint you, Usagi-chan, but Ero-sennin still has the original and I don't plan on buying the actual book. That'll be at _your_ expense, not mines. I've already spent enough today than I ever had in my entire life. Even Rin and Hinata's shopping wasn't this bad!"

He patted his back pocket glumly and felt his deflated Gama-chan through the tough fabric. What was once a bulky and happy looking toad wallet was now a flattened version of Frogger when he failed to cross the street. He had just enough left to pay for his ticket to the Academy, a quick lunch somewhere and perhaps a cake from a confectionary for Rin.

_A book will do too…_ He mentally added.

"Okies, I'll pay for my own." Tabane agreed cheerfully. "Now carry me there!"

Naruto came very close to taking a page from Chifuyu's book and dumping the woman from where he sat, but decided against it. He instead carefully placed her on her feet and gathered there stuff in one arm. The sooner he got this over with the sooner he can chow down on some ramen. That always cheered him up.

"After this let's head down to Momoyamas for lunch." Naruto announced as he took her hand and guided her through the maze of people.

"Of course!"

They walked through the glass door of the store a minute later and welcomed the cool air saturating the room. The bookstore was a relatively large place compared to some of the other buildings in the area with two additional floors to explore; the second floor and the bottom basement. All around there were shelves of the typical anime and visual light novels stacked side by side according to popularity, genre or title. Magazines racks occupied one side of the building with the visual novels taking up the other. The center was dedicated to manga and regular books for those looking for something different from the country's norm.

Naruto agreed to browse separately and took to reading the magazines while Tabane headed to the front desk to purchase her book, and maybe look around a bit afterwards. He skimmed over some I-S magazines that had coincidentally been placed at a corner near the window (in a very flashy fashion), before sorting through the magazines dedicate to popular games.

"World of Warcraft… Battlefield 3…Bayonetta—sexy…. Erhm, Asura's Wrath… Vanquish, a good game…Aha~! Ninja Gaiden!" The blonde grinned and settled into one of the store's comfy bean bags for a relaxing read.

The Ninja Gaiden series developed by Team Ninja was very popular among his fellow gamers and RL friends. As an avid fan and enthusiast himself, he owned a life-size plush pillow of his favorite Kunoichis; Momiji and Ayane, a Scroll Poster of Ryu Hayabusa that hung on one wall of his room, and he even bought other Ninja Gaiden Merchandise ranging from Chibi handheld plushies to pencil casings. He wasn't an Otaku, but he did try to support the creators anyway he could.

Admittedly, the other reason behind his enthusiasm for the game was also because of its relation to his occupation.

In this futuristic world of high-tech and I-S, just about most legends found in Japan have slowly disappeared from history. While it's a good thing for his Organization, he felt put off by that fact. Things like vampires, werewolves and especially ghosts can vanish for all he cared, but forgetting about ninjas ever existing? That's total blasphemy! He might as well rename his occupation into "assassin" or "Hired Mercenary" at this rate.

So Naruto was quite relieved to find that Ninjas remained ever popular in this modern era, and have become influential enough to not only establish worldwide Clandestine Organization like his own, but also helped make a very successful game. Of course some of the stuff that Ryu Hayabusa did were altered versions of the ninja art he knew of, Naruto was none the less content. So long as the world was still aware of Ninjas still existing he'll be a happy camper.

Relishing in the rumor of a "Ninja Gaiden 4" coming out, Naruto happily took the magazine to be bought.

"Will that be all, Sir?" The friendly cashier asked.

"Pretty much." He looked around for his companion, but couldn't find her anywhere. "Say… did you happen to see a friend of mines around here? She wore a dark grayish sweater and black cap. Had long purple hair and seemed pretty high looking."

"I think I saw her heading down to the basement level a few minutes ago." The woman said. "Now, that'll be 1380 yen for your purchase. Would it be Cash or credit?"

"Cash, please. Thanks."

After bidding her goodbye and his magazine safely tucked away in one of his shopping bags, Naruto headed downstairs in search of the bubbly woman.

He didn't need to look around too far to actually find her. Tabane had coincidentally poked her head out from a behind a bookshelf some distance away and beckoned him over with an energetic wave.

"Na-kun, over here! Hurry!"

"Alright, alright. I'm coming."

He navigated around a few shoppers and some other shelves before rounding the corner to face Tabane.

"Did you find something you like down here?" He asked.

She smiled up at him and waved around a familiar orange book. "I sure have! But guess what else I found?"

He jerked his head to the side questioningly. "What?"

"Me."

In the split second that word had been uttered, Naruto had thrust Tabane behind him and leveled a polished Kunai threateningly against the speaker's neck. It took the remainder of the second to identify the person and come to a startling realization: The grayish gravity defying hair and white facemask was unmistakably familiar.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The masked man eye-smiled in return. "Good to see your reaction time has improved, Naruto. Although you might want to rethink on your methods of engagement for these types of situations. Particularly out here in public."

"Are you surprised?" Tabane piped up, feigning ignorance to the momentary tension. "I found him reading some of the books down here."

"Of course." Naruto withdrew his weapon and glanced around for any witnesses. "Sorry about that, Sensei. I wasn't expecting you here."

"It's a good lesson for you to remember: Expect the unexpected." The older man replied sagely. "Now, why don't we grab something to eat somewhere and chat for a bit? We've got quite a few things to talk about."

"Sure." The purpled haired woman agreed. "We were about to head out to do just that, right Na-kun?

The blonded nodded. "I've never been to Momoyama's before, but Chifuyu-neesan and Usagi over here, recommended it."

"Good. I'm craving for some miso soup with mushrooms right about now."

They quickly made their way out of the bookstore and onto the bustling streets. Momoyama was several blocks from where they were and thus they made some small talk as they walked. They're topics varied from the weather to news from foreign countries, as well as the usual I-S business between Tabane and their Organization. Naruto had excluded himself from that particular conversation and only took note of his sensei's silent signal for an important discussion when given the opportunity.

By the time they got to the traditional Japanese bar and settled in, Kakashi had fished out his favorite book from and was diligently reading it as Tabane engaged Naruto in a light talked about future plans. Naruto had wanted to actually be silent for once, but couldn't quite get that chance. The infamous scientist had taken his attention when she mentioned about a personal I-S for him. He felt giddy about the idea and enthusiastically answered her questions.

It was not until after they made their order that Tabane excused herself from the table to use the restroom. Her timing was impeccable and allowed Naruto to confront his sensei about his earlier signal.

"So what's up, sensei?" He began. "You popped up without a call or text. Did something happen back home?"

Kakashi lifted a single hand and blurred through a set of one-handed seals. The change around them was immediate as a near imperceptible blanket of energy encompassed their space. The grey haired man remained glued to his book throughout the entire process and only spoke up when he regained the blonde's attention.

"Konoha is fine. ROOT hasn't caused us much trouble since the last confrontation." Kakashi said, easing back on his seat to peer at him from above his book. "I actually came to give you a personal mission…"

Naruto perked up and not so subtly leaned forward with an eager grin plastered across his face. "Don't beat around the bush! Spill! Is it an S-rank mission to save the world? I knew pestering her for 4 months straight would do the trick!"

"Haha, it's not that extravagant." The older man chuckled and placed his book down. "You're pretty good in protecting clients from what we've observed during those trial missions back then, so this mission is appropriate for your skills as a chunin… Yea, you heard right. You've been promoted, Naruto. Congratulations."

Naruto froze and ran through a mix of emotions before blurting out, "I'M PROMOTED!" very loudly. If it weren't for the privacy array erected by his sensei they would've caught the attention of the entire establishment. Of course Kakashi wasn't exactly thrilled to be sitting in front of his loud pupil at this time. He swore that the boy was like a freak'n megaphone when prompted…

"Keep it down, Naruto." He scolded. "It's not that surprising."

Kakashi took a discreet look around him to see if anyone had caught any interest on them. He saw nothing so far.

"But, but I'm promoted! I mean, how—why? Not that I'm grateful or anything, but seriously? Why so sudden?"

"Honestly? This had been a long time coming. Tsunade-sama had planned to promote you months ago after you've returned from your training trip with Jiraiya-sama. It just got postponed several times because of the I-S incident. You should thank him for recommending you, by the way—including Iruka's efforts and my own personal tutelage."

Throwing away whatever questions he had, Naruto kept his smile as he bowed to his sensei in gratitude. "Thanks a lot then, sensei. I appreciate your continued support and guidance."

He was rewarded with an affectionate pat on the shoulder and a tussle of his blonde hair. "Anytime, Naruto, anytime." Relaxing back into his seat, Kakashi resumed his reading. "Make sure you remember to call up Iruka later. He's been anxious about your enrollment and has pestered me about you're whereabouts ever since you've left. The man can be a handful at times if Anko's not around to distract him."

Naruto had the decency to look sheepishly at this. Could he be blamed if a certain someone kept monopolizing his time? He thought about it. "…I guess I have been putting off those calls…"

Kakashi hummed in reply.

"Well, I'll contact him for sure, sensei." Naruto promised before eagerly returning to their previous topic. "Now, about that mission for me…?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, the mission." His teacher paused and then let out a shrug a minute later—as if deciding on something. "You've already started it from what I've observed, so just keep up the good work."

"…Huh?" was Naruto's intelligent reply.

"Serving and protecting Shinonono Tabane-sama." Kakashi clarified. "That's the mission that both the council and Hokage-sama had agreed to give you."

"HUH?"

"Come off it, Naruto. Don't give me that look—you're doing a wonderful job so far. The pay should be good too since you'll be receiving extra funds from Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama. That's good enough, right? No? Then perhaps enlightening you with the news of your TCS arriving in a few days…?"

Naruto ignored his sensei's effort in appeasing him and let reality of the news sink in instead. He just wasn't feeling so sure about his job anymore. He thought he only needed to work for the cheerful woman for another few months as per their agreement, and so tried to get along with her (which was pretty okay, admittedly…), but after hearing this…

"Is this negotiable?" He warily asked.

Kakashi didn't help him when he simply gave an eye-smile.

Naruto's head hit the table. "How long…?"

"Mm… it depends on Shinonono-dono." The older man replied. "You will still receive some missions from us, if you're wondering, so don't be too down about it."

"Well, if it gets me away from her from time to time…" The blonde looked up hopefully as he trailed off.

"Do you think someone who's stuck to you like glue lately will be hampered by this?"

"…damnit…"

"Heyas! Did I miss anything?" Tabane asked upon returning to her seat.

Kakashi shook his head. "Nope, nothing at all, right Naruto?"

"Where's my ramen?" The boy groaned and looked around in a depressive mood. "I really need some right now."

* * *

><p>The moment the bell tolled for an afternoon break, one Haung Linying—affectionately called "Rin" by others—raced through the crowded corridors of the school building and out onto the front yard where blooming rainbow flowers and the scent of green trees greeted her. The sun was making its sluggish descent from its earlier perch above the sky and allowed the young brunette to take in the magnificent view of the blue sky as ran.<p>

She had a momentary urge to kick off into the air and fly amongst the few clouds drifting about, but quickly shoved that aside. It wouldn't do her any good if one of the teachers spotted her abusing her I-S privileges and get caught skipping class at the same time. No, that won't do at all. Not when she had someone waiting for her at the Island's shuttle station.

Uzumaki Naruto, a childhood friend and fellow ramen addict, was coming to I-S Academy.

Rin was skeptical at first considering the likelihood of another male pilot, but after some convincing images he sent her through her phone and some personal investigation on her part, she accepted it wholeheartedly and had been eagerly awaiting his arrival. To say she was excited was an understatement. The brunette was practically bouncing on her shoes since yesterday when she first got here.

Finding out that welcoming news prior to her transfer to the Academy brought much expectation for her high school life. Two childhood friends in one place, and the fact they're male I-S pilot? She felt herself pretty damn lucky if not a little superior to the other girls of the school. She wasn't smug about it, but simply reasoned to be blessed by lady-luck.

"Hehe, I'm really looking forward to my life here." She said aloud as she crossed the gate to the school campus.

There was still about a 15 minute run to the shuttle station so she relaxed into a jog and took her time reminiscing about her childhood friend.

Naruto was one of the only males she's gotten along with pretty well. The other was Ichika, her crush. But of the two, she would have to say that the blonde haired youth was her closest friend of some seven years or so. He met her back in China during his travels and had stayed with her family for about several months. They at first hadn't gotten along so well with him being rather annoying and pretty dumb most of the time. She reasoned it had to do with the language barrier between them and the fact that he was always out working for one reason or another.

Rin recalled a time when his sensei, a tall and rather imposing old man with white hair and genuinely playful character allowed her to watch them work. They were some sort of mercenary or freelancers that took on a lot of different kinds of jobs, and so she witness them doing manual labor for one of her neighbors. Naruto had shown her that he could be quite cunning and fun when he enlisted her help without her knowing until she was enjoying herself lifting bricks and painting the fences a bright orange. Sure, that particular job ended for nothing after his sensei's perverted antiques brought them trouble, but she couldn't deny that she had a pleasant time.

Little by little she began hanging around the blonde boy and his sensei, generally curious and drawn to their rather vague origins. They were very secretive at times and the old man, Jiraiya, never really gave a clear explanation about their chosen occupation. Some of their neighbors were wary of them and yet her parents seemed to encourage her association with them. So she went a step further from merely observing them and going to full on interaction. She spent time trying to communicate with the blonde for about several weeks, but with little success. She was encouraged, however, when Naruto took it upon himself to return the favor and demonstrated a few formal greetings in her language. Needless to say, his botched way of speaking left her laughing for quite some time.

Nonetheless, his gesture was sweet and well appreciated.

Once they've gotten over that particular hurdle—after a long period of intense studying—the two discovered a genuine friendship between them. They found out each other's likes and dislikes, learned life lessons together, shared the same interest in ramen, and held quite a number of things in common. Rin was quite pleased to make a good friend.

The following years continued to build up on that friendship and eventually helped her get through the tough times when she moved to Japan for a couple years. He remained a close friend—best friend even, to this day. She could count on him if her days here in I-S Academy ever becomes bad.

Acknowledging that little fact, Rin slowed to a walk. She had reached her destination and lucked out upon seeing the object of her thoughts examining a fountain near the entrance of shuttle station. He had changed in the last nine or so months they've been apart; He grew a little taller, had a bit more tamed hair and good fashion with a white shirt underneath a grayish/darkish double-zipped jacket and similar colored jeans, albeit a bit faded around knees down. She couldn't help but note the orange color he cherished so much was one of the chosen jacket he wore—just between the shirt and outer jacket.

Smirking, she held out a hand and shouted. "OI, Blondie! Longtime no see!"

Rin let out a small laugh at his clumsy reaction. Naruto nearly fell into the fountain he was observing if not for his firm grip on the bars that lined it. He then looked around sharply before grinning like mad upon spotting her.

"Hey!" He greeted with a wave and trotted over with his orange duffel bag slung over one shoulder.

"Good to see you, Shorty!" He laughed, enveloping her in a warm hug and squeezing her smaller frame gently. "How've you been?"

Rin returned the favor just as enthusiastically before pulling away. "Same old, same old. Did you just get here? I was expecting you to be late."

"I almost was if I didn't set my watch earlier." He tapped the black gadget wrapped around his left wrist. "You wouldn't believe how many times this thing has saved me from missing important stuff."

The brunette tiled her head cutely to the side. "Did you get caught up with work or something?"

"You can say that." Naruto shuddered. "I'm not really looking forward to my job right now though."

"How come? I thought you always wanted to be an official "Konoha Operative"? You never stopped going on about it since we were kids." She teased then added. "Congrats on your promotion by the way. I just wish you contacted me sooner about it so I could prepare a cake or something to celebrate with."

"I appreciate the thought." He replied sincerely. "But you should save that when I actually take over the entire organization. Better to do all that partying and eating sweets when it's really, really a big deal for me—birthdays and other special occasions aside, of course."

Rin chuckled in agreement as they began their long walk to the office. She planned to take the long path in order to let their reunion last until school went out. Then she would need to track down her other childhood friend/crush and tell him the good news.

"So," She began. "What type of job are you doing this time? The usual grunt work? Selling shirts at a mall? A long-term D-rank mission?"

"I _want_to label it a D-rank." Naruto admitted. "But it's not that. I'm stuck babysitting—" He abruptly stopped and sheepishly scratched his head. "Ah, sorry Rin. Its top secret, I can't say anything else about it."

The twin-tailed brunette snapped her fingers together with a 'tsk.' She hadn't intended to actually pry into his private business, but darn was she close. Even up till now he remained secretive. One of these days she would have to find a way to get more involved with his so called 'missions.' It seemed like a pretty interesting experience to go through.

"You sure you don't want to share those 'top secret' missions with your Best friend?" She gave her most impressionable pretty girl face to try and coax him to spill.

Predicatively, he just laughed it off.

Pouting, she spun away with a sniff. "Fine, be that way."

"Sorry, Rin, but that was the most weakest attempt of persuasion I've ever seen you do. Try a little harder." He chuckled. "You almost had me a minute ago."

"Nah, forget it. You'll tell me eventually. I just need to wait a little longer."

They converse some more, enjoying each other's company, until they passed through a path covered by trees and into an open field. They found themselves standing in front of the large I-S stadium that Rin remembered seeing during her brief tour yesterday. Naruto gave her a quizzical look, but she waved it off and gestured for him to follow her inside. She had her reasons for leading him here. One was to test him and the other was to simply waste some time.

She grinned mischievously once they stopped at the center of the barren field.

"What are we doing here?" Naruto asked, glancing around. "I thought we were headed to the office?"

"I'll take you there." She assured. "But first let me see you pilot an I-S."

Rin smiled prettily when she saw a grin of approval and mischief dancing across his lips after a momentary pause of confusion. She had prepared a standard I-S through some connections the other night and so was eager to toy around with her best friend.

A little payback for all those spars they did as Tai-chi practitioners was also in order.

"You up for the challenge?" She asked as her I-S, Shenlong, began materializing over her.

Naruto loosened his neck with a hand and dropped his duffel bag. "I'm game. Just give me an I-S."

* * *

><p>Chifuyu raised a brow at the groaning blonde before her. She had expected the blonde to arrive at the Academy hours ago in perfect condition—not looking like he came from running a marathon.<p>

"Do I want to know what you've been up to?" She asked with a frown.

Naruto shook his head to regain some focus and said. "I met up with an old friend of mines and we ended up going at it for a few hours…Honestly, I'm exhausted, Chifuyu-sensei."

Words nearly failed her at that. She wanted to confirm his statement, but instead gain an uncontrollable twitch in her right eye. This had to be a misunderstanding.

"It must've been fun…" She commented neutrally.

"Hell yea!" The blonde replied somewhat more energetically. "She was awesome, a real pro! Even though I have more stamina than her—by a large margin—she lasted pretty long."

She was tapping her foot really hard now. It's still a misunderstanding she continued to reason.

"I mean, I didn't know I-S pilots like her can be that strong and flexible in—"

Alright, that did it.

Chifuyu smacked him on the head before he could finish his sentence. Her face was a slightly aglow from her anger—not embarrassment, she reasoned. Her charge's explicit activity should have taken a backseat before coming here to her office. How she wished he hadn't answered her inquiry.

The blonde recovered quickly enough and let out an indignant protest. "What the hell was that for?"

The former I-S champion took deep breathes and calmly spoke to him. "Uzumaki, you really need to set your priorities straight."

"What?" The blonde asked in puzzlement.

"I have no right to deny you of your… needs." She began slowly with a serious look. "But you must learn to control yourself and prioritize important engagements."

"W-what're you going on about, Chifuyu-sensei?"

She ignored him. "You should have reported to me first and got yourself settled in before you decided to 'party' with your friend."

"Huh?"

"You're a healthy male with much 'tension,' I understand that, so I'll let this incident slide. I just hoped you and your friend remembered to clean up afterwards."

The blonde scratched his cheek unsurely of her statement, but answered honestly. "Uh, well, we did… But there wasn't really much to clean up, really. We weren't that rough when we went at it. In fact, the I-S stadium was pretty spacious so we limited our shots around the middle area."

Chifuyu turned eerily quiet and did not face him.

"Sensei?"

"…You guys did it…where…?"

"The I-S stadium, where else?"

She began shaking with rage and just barely contained it enough to speak properly. "Uzumaki."

"Yes?" He squeaked, probably sensing her mood, she guessed.

"Go walk around the campus for a few. I'll have your class schedule and uniform ready when you come back…"

"Err…"

"GO!" She barked.

"Yes, ma'am!"

A few clumsy shuffling of feet later, her office was once more quite.

She let out a tired sigh and fell limp into her seat, drained by the current events. The first day he was here and already this happens? What did she do wrong when she explained the rules to him and everything the other day?

"You're more troublesome than I remembered…" Chifuyu muttered as she took some of the papers from her desk and began working on his class schedule.

Hopefully this will keep her mind off of things. She was frustrated enough as it was with all the stuff she had to do to get him here. Now where the hell did Tabane go? She was supposed to be here as well…

* * *

><p>The blonde paused at the door to his room. It took him nearly two hours to get to here after his <em>strange<em> discussion with Chifuyu. As it turns out, it was she who was assigning the rooms of the third floor rather than Yamada-sensei. How she failed to remember that tidbit, He would never know. She just seemed mad about something…

Admittedly, a large chunk of time was also spent exploring the bottom floor when Naruto first arrived. He had ventured around the building for a time, giving passing greetings to some curious residents, and discovered quite a few places of interest that he'd investigate later and perhaps use when he had the spare time. Those public baths and recreation rooms he'd passed by looked really appealing to him.

Now standing in front of his room, Naruto wondered who he would be rooming with and if they'd get along. Of course, this drew attention to his childhood friend's own living arrangement. Rin mentioned earlier, during their I-S activity, that she was already living at the dorm but didn't specify exactly where inside. Chifuyu didn't budge when he asked about it during their brief conversation and instead socked his head in reply. She warned him that anymore of his nonsense would earn him a punishment far worse than just a simple knock on the head.

_She'd probably pull out a bokken and threaten me with it. And if her punches hurt then that wooden blade will definitely hurt a lot more. _

After rubbing the throbbing spot on his head he gave the door a knock. When no answered he checked to see if it was locked before stepping inside.

Setting his stuff down, Naruto gave the room a once over.

'Stylish' can best fit the room's description; a hybrid of classical and futuristic ingenuity. It was certainly wide and spacious with the necessary living comforts visibly placed about. There was a pair of comfortable looking beds neatly placed on one side of the room with the typical lamp and nightstand combo sitting idly beside each one. Decorating the side of the bed—the one closest to the balcony—was a long polished drawer for storing clothes and other personal items. It sat against the wall just under the window to the outside and was equipped with a special locking mechanism.

At least that's what Naruto assumed it was upon noticing the glowing green pads embedded on its wooden center. What else could that type of tech do for a drawer?

Standing opposite of the beds were a pair of refined conjoined wooden-desk, long in design yet sturdy looking in structure, holding one of many highly advance pieces of technology that IS Academy had to offer; a holographic pad fixed on the wooden surface that was no doubt connected to their respective monitors hovering above the desk. The blonde was sure to try that piece of tech later, as well as browse the bookshelf on the wall between them. There's bound to be something interesting there…

Even if he wasn't exactly the type to read often he did get those urges sometimes.

In addition to that piece of equipment and a few other interesting objects found in the room, there was a delightfully spacious bathroom—futuristic in both appearance and functions, near the door and a small kitchen equipped with the usual stove and sink. Shining cups and plates were neatly sorted inside the cupboards hanging above the counter, giving Naruto the impression of some French design with its style of placement. And topping this already impressive kitchen were the preplaced items and snacks decorating its smooth granite surface, as if welcoming him with its enticing presentation.

Overall, the room was to his liking and wouldn't require any personal modifications… yet.

Striding towards the large window that acted as a door to the balcony, Naruto pulled the curtains open to gaze at the darkening sky outside. The stars were already peeking mischievously down on him with an array of soft colors still staining its calming beauty; painting the scenery of twilight.

Tonight will certainly be a beautiful one and, quite frankly, he found it rather nostalgic to look at. They invoked fond memories from many years past when he was still just a child. Back to a time where ninja training occurred on a daily basis and countless hours were spent amongst seasonal friends. Those good old days that kept his childhood life somewhat bearable and pleasant.

_**DoK! DoK! DoK!**_

"Come in." He called, forcing his attention away from the outside to acknowledge his visitor.

The door opened with a 'click' and a familiar voice sounded through.

"Hiya, Roommate! The name's Lingyin Haung, though you can call me Rin. It's a pleasure to meet you...Naruto?"

There was an audible 'thud' that rang out as her duffel bag hit the floor. The blonde masked his own stunned surprise and grinned widely at his long time friend.

"Sup, Rin! How did negotiations go?"

The petite brunette shook her head briefly and thought to voice her delight, but paused upon registering his question. Her shoulders sagged in depression as her gaze met the floor.

"No dice… That stupid Houki girl got in the way!" Fuming, Rin trudged to the nearest bed and unceremoniously plopped down on it. "Just because she's the _first_ childhood friend she gets his attention and treatment. That dummy-Ichika…"

Naruto watched as she grumbled moodily then buried her face on the pillow to let out her frustration. His trained senses clearly recognized some foul languages mixed in with complimenting threats of chopping something into pieces. He figured his fellow male I-S Pilot, Ichika, was on the receiving end of her ire.

The blonde shook his head and went over to retrieve her belongings from the floor in the hall. He set them aside next to his own before grabbing a pair of cups from the cupboard and then boiling some water for tea. He figured this will help improve his roommate's mood.

It worked quite often in the past before…

"Cheer up!" Naruto chirped, happily seating himself beside her form. "It's not like he's living far away. Ichika's like what… down the hall?"

"He's on the second floor, three doors down the right side… Room 1025." Rin corrected, albeit muffled by the pillow.

"There you go! You can see him any time you want so smile, will ya'?"

The twin-tailed brunette rubbed her face briefly over the soft cushion before peeking up at him. Naruto sported an idiotic grin while waving 'hello' as if greeting her for the first time. It was a goofy act that elicited small giggles from her.

"Besides, you should be glad that I'm you roommate." The blonde continued in a matter of fact tone. "I can make the best home cooked Ramen around…"

Drawn to the word 'Ramen,' Rin listened attentively.

"… Just give me a kettle, a stove and some water, and I'll have your Ramen ready in no time!" He winked. "Of course, I'll need my most important ingredient for that…"

"Oh?" She asked amusedly, already predicting his answer. "What would that be?"

"Instant Cup Ramen!"

His jovial response had the brunette giggling further as she twisted around to clutch her sides.

Leave it to him to crack a simple joke like that while holding up the aforementioned object in a fashion similar to those TV commercials about shampoos; the one where a woman would hold up the product in one hand while striking an alluring pose in hopes of garnering popularity. Having a male perform it—like what Naruto just did—really brought out the laughs.

"I guess today didn't turn out so bad." Rin admitted while drying the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Rooming with you has always been fun. And at the very least you actually _keep _your promises…"

As if those words were a switch, her amiable mood turned dour.

"I take it Ichika messed up…?" Naruto questioned curiously although it sounded more like a statement halfway to the end.

Rin sighed with a nod as a light scowl marred her cute features. She crossed her arms firmly over her chest and elaborated further.

"He's a real dense idiot, that guy. All he remembered was food! I mean, he didn't even focus on the most important part of what I said."

"Um, Rin…? I think you should give him some slack." Naruto cut in, hoping to give reason for his male friend's poor memory. "I mean, food is one of a man's most sacred treasures in life. Even back then as kids we would forget things relating to promises if we were offered cookies or cake _as_ promises. Oh Kami, even I would admit in doing the same."

"Mm-hmm… I highly doubt that, Naruto."

"I'm serious!"

"But you've kept your promises to me before, and some of it _did_ involve food." Rin insisted. "So what do you have to say to that?"

Naruto scratched his right cheek and said. "Sweet and sour pork isn't exactly my favorite dish, Rin. You gotta take preferences into account, you know?—and besides, your cooking back then wasn't very… good…"

Rin pouted. "It wasn't that bad either—I improved in the end!"

"Yea, like after a thousand times of poisoning me." Naruto held his neck in a choking motion. "Blurgh!"

_**SMACK!**_

"OW! That actually hurt!"

The blonded rubbed his tender head gently.

"Geez, it was you who volunteered to help with my cooking, remember?" She reminded with a grumble as she nursed her bruised knuckle. "So that was your fault for offering to be my test subject before I gave Ichika the better ones."

"And I regret not eating those meant for him. Lucky Bastard." Naruto mumbled to the side.

The young Chinese girl blinked curiously at him, as if asking him to repeat what he just said, most likely not catching the last part. He shook his head in return and waved it off. She didn't need to hear it twice.

It wasn't that important anyways.

"Well, if you want, you can taste my cooking some time." She offered while watching her childhood friend walk off to relieve the kettle and return the instant cup ramen he held. "We just got to stock the fridge sometime…"

Checking the aforementioned object at her comment, the blonde found himself eyeing the various food and ingredients piled inside. There was just enough to last them a month or two at most with plenty of balanced meals they can cook.

He whistled appreciatively and gestured for her to take a look.

"We won't have to worry about food for a while, this fridge is packed. The academy must've gotten these for us ahead of time… most of the vegetables look fresh from the market."

While he rummaged through the other compartments found within, Rin took to verifying his statement by reading the milk's expiration date. When she was satisfied she placed it back inside and snatched the wrapped up slices of pork he procured.

"How about it?" She asked with a toothed grin. "Want me to cook something up tonight?"

After a thoughtful moment, Naruto shook his head and placed the meat back inside before closing it. While he was curious on how much her cooking had improved, he decided to save the offer for later.

"Let's eat at the cafeteria for now. I wanna see what they can offer us."

Rin pouted, but shrugged nevertheless. "Suit yourself…"

Laughing, he poured her a cup of tea and leaned back on the edge of the counter to sip his own. He allowed her a moment to enjoy hers before continuing on with their previous conversation. Given her personality, she wouldn't just leave Ichika alone for his clueless mistake. There had to be something she had in mind, a punishment of sorts.

"So, back on topic, what do you plan on doing with our 'Forgetful' friend?"

An all too familiar grin made its way across the brunette's lips.

"Nothing too bad…" She confessed innocently. "I'm just going to beat the living crap out of him in the I-S inter-class tournament and then make him my boyfriend."

The blonde blinked. "What?"

"I made a bet with him to see which of us would win." She explained after another sip of her drink. "Whoever ends up top gets bragging rights with the loser granting the winner a wish. Naturally, I'll have him take me out on a date after I've won."

"You can't be serious, Rin!" Naruto cried out. "That fight will be too one-sided, wouldn't it?"

"It'll be fine. He's beaten an instructor in an I-S duel before, right? He'll survive."

He stared incredulously at her offhanded remark before placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a stern look. This forced the petite brunette to lean back quite a bit.

" Rin… you've got the I-S, skill _**and**_ experience in spades while he has nothing but his personal I-S. How's that fine to you!"

"H-he already agreed to it so it can't be helped…" She reasoned lamely. "Wouldn't you do the same if you were in his shoes?"

Naruto wanted to retort but found that he couldn't. Regretfully, she was right. Given possible circumstances, he would admittedly accept the challenge. That was one of the few traits he shared with Ichika, and, quite frankly, it was rather depressing in a way…

Still, he just couldn't let his fellow pilot get beat up. There must be another solution to this… even if it's to lessen the supposed 'punishment' to a certain degree.

"Okay, how about giving him a good old slap on the face instead?" He suggested hopefully.

"Done that already."

Well, there goes that plan.

"I… I guess, just… just don't be too hard on him." Naruto relented.

Hey, at least he made an effort to help. There's nothing else he can do now for his fellow male.

"Don't worry, Naruto, I'll give him a handicap. He needs to be healthy for our date, after all. Speaking of which…" It was her turn to regard him sternly. "You'll still help me, right?"

"… Huh?"

"You know…" The brunette twiddled with her fingers shyly as her cheeks suddenly colored a cute pink. "W-with the whole 'supporting my love' thing. You'll help me out, right?"

She glanced at him hesitantly with an uncertain grin and held up a clenched fist; a sign that they were both familiar with. Officially, it's a gesture of greeting and rarely was it used for these occasions, so it surprised him when she brought it up. However, Naruto didn't break a moment and bumped his fist with hers. Even if he felt a little depressed and somewhat amused, the blonde was never the type to break his vows. Especially the ones made to this girl; his one and only childhood friend.

"Of course," He finally said, grinning like he always did. "I made a promised, didn't I? And you know me…"

"…You don't go back on your words." Rin finished with a giggle. "Of course I know you."

Naruto didn't doubt that. With a best friend like him, how could she not forget? They've known each other since they were little and lived under the same roof for several years. There were so many instances that he's repeated his oaths that she had probably taken to memorize most of them. Keeping promises was probably one of his strong points to her.

Both grins widened in unisons as their traditional greeting turned into a formal handshake.

"Please take care of me from today onwards then, Mr. Uzumaki," Rin smiled cutely at him with her tiny fang gleaming against the light. "I look forward to rooming with you."

Naruto chuckled in return and completed their exchange with a last shake.

"The same to you, Ms. Huang. The same to you."

Inside his head his chibi persona waved up a white flag. _Ichika… I'm really sorry, my friend. But you're on your own! I wish you luck._

"Now how should I deal with that stupid Ichika? Maybe something like this… or this… or even this?"

The numerous moves that Rin performed with her Partial-Deployment gave Naruto a very bad feeling about next week's tournament. Those blades were huge no matter how many times he's seen it thus far. They also looked freshly sharpened and polished like they had never been used…

_On second thought, I'll pray for your safety instead. _

* * *

><p>Just below their floor, and in a certain room, the aforementioned I-S pilot shivered unpleasantly.<p>

"What's wrong, Ichika?" Houki asked, glancing at him from her bed.

The boy looked around and shook his head for a moment. "I don't know… I felt _chilly _all of a sudden."

"Maybe the A/C is on too high. I'll go turn it down."

"Yea, thanks." He pulled the covers over himself and snuggled his pillow. "… Though, I don't think it has to do much with the temperature …"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

* * *

><p>The next day was one of pure excitement for I-S academy with the arrival of some unexpected news.<p>

Various students gossiped amongst themselves about the rumors found just last night. Their voices rang loudly in some groups while in others they were but whispers—barely capable of carrying words through the halls. Not one broke from the morning's hot topic as the bell rang for class, sending them to their respective rooms.

So it was to Yamada-sensei's great distress to find her class deep in conversations when she first stepped in to greet them. They paid little heed to her presence and instead went about chatting in voices that seemed to grow louder by the minute.

"E-everyone, please listen!" Yamada meekly called out.

The busty teacher tried gathering their attention a second time, but to no avail. Her soft voice, coupled with her shy character, just didn't have the forceful authority that her fellow teacher and friend, Chifuyu, was known to exhibit. Even Ichika had more luck getting some of the students to listen to her albeit only a handful actually stayed quiet.

A clapping sound soon permeated throughout the room, silencing conversations almost immediately. The students glanced up front and quickly straightened upon seeing the older Orimura frowning in disapproval. She had somehow magically appeared inside, eluding some of the most alert and observant students like Shinonono Houki.

"Settle down!" She barked. "You've all already wasted 10 minutes of your class time. Quickly now, take your seats. There is still attendance and some announcements we need to go over before we start."

The students wordlessly hurried to their assigned seats while Chifuyu relieved her friend's teaching post and settled herself behind the front desk.

After all was said and done with the roll call, Chifuyu placed the roster aside and glanced at her students. As expected, the majority was dedicated to their studies while a fair few were far less so; the usual jadedness and sluggish postures commonly seen in most students remained ever present.

Chifuyu frowned and made sure to set a good example of what would happen if they didn't shape up.

"Orimura, pay attention!" She barked sharply, hurling a pen to his head.

"OW!"

The pain-filled cry from the resident male sent the rest of the class in a fit of giggles. Ichika, for his part, clutched his now aching forehead while muttering some light curses directed at his sister. Despite being in I-S academy for a while now he was still getting picked on by her.

"Is this what they call 'tough sibling love'?"

Upon realizing he had spoken out loud, Ichika nervously peeked at his sister. Comments like that insured swift retribution of the physical sorts, so he was very fortunate to see her ignore him altogether in favor of addressing the rest of the class.

"As you all know the inter-class tournament is coming up and there are many preparations taking place around the academy. You may have noticed some areas that were previously accessible before have now become restricted if not closed entirely. This is due in part to the security measurements that the Student Council and the I-S Board of Education recently implemented."

Murmurs broke out among the females as a number of them raised a hand. Chifuyu shook her head and silence them with a look.

"Hold your questions until the end. We won't be able to get through today's lessons if I have to answer them after each one of my announcements…" She paused for a moment to bring up a holoscreen that listed the names and pictures of people native and foreign to the country. "As I was saying, this level of security has its reasons. This year I-S Academy will be hosting a large sum of government officials from around the globe—far bigger than the ones we've received from previous years. Most will be from foreign countries such as China, the US, Russia, New Zealand, South Korea, England, Rwanda, Australia, and many others, that'll be seeking results of the academy's efforts in developing I-S pilots. A few of them may even arrive ahead of schedule and stay for a short period during and after the tournament. Thus the restrictions on some places like the nearby park and the southern ports.

"Worry not, however, this is only temporary and would likely last for a month at most. During that time I expect everyone here to be at their best behavior. You're all not kids anymore, but adults representing your respective country as proud students of this academy. I needn't tell you what you should and shouldn't do… you all know better. Is that clear?"

A collective nod and a loud 'hai' came her reply. They figured that these government officials would need certain places for special gatherings or just recreational activities during their stay. It was understandable. I-S Academy was like an island city with plenty of space to accommodate their business needs. Limiting certain places around the academy for just those purposes was enough to satisfy their curiosity.

"Good. Be sure to keep that in mind." She gave them a stern yet prideful look before continuing on. "Now regarding the coming tournament…

"Many of you have expressed great interest in participating in it during last week's assembly. Although only a select few may participate this year, namely the class representatives, the student council had decided to create a special event for those who didn't make the list. This will be held a couple months from now and will allow a class from each year to participate in a broadcasted project sponsored by the Yukihiro R&D Corporation. I don't know the entire details regarding this, but the student council should provide a full explanation about it in this Friday's assembly."

Another wave of excitement quickly stirred amongst the females. This time they talked freely with Chifuyu's consent.

"Oh! Do you think it'll be a shooting for some sort of I-S movie?" One girl asked out loud.

"I doubt it. The Yukihiro Group is the owner of that corporation–the one that manufactures those I-S toys and collectable products. My guess is it'll be another toy advertisement for the kids."

"But I heard that there particular group also helped develop models!"

"Are you serious?"

"Really? They did?"

The squeals that followed had Ichika burying his ears between his hands. They were bearable before but now they're too loud!

"Uwah~ I always wanted to model for the _'I-S Girls'_ monthly magazine!" A girl with droopy eyes stated enthusiastically, followed by the shouts of agreement from her fellow classmates.

"I second that thought!"

"Me too!"

"Neh, Orimura-sensei, does this also mean that there'll be another tournament to decide the classes participating?"

The noise died down as the girls turned to their teacher. Chifuyu was conversing with the other green-haired I-S instructor about something and only stopped to answer after sending her away on an errand. She coughed lightly into her fist and took her post in front of them once more.

"Yes," She explained after a brief moment. "It's very likely that they'll include an I-S tournament and perhaps some extra others. Like I've stated before, I'm unclear of the details, so you'll have to wait till the assembly to find out. Or, if you'd like, you can speak directly to the Student Council Vice-President about it. She proposed this idea after all."

"Eh? My sister…?" The sleepy-eyed girl asked in surprise.

"You didn't know, Nohotoke-san?" One of her classmates questioned from behind.

"Yea, this is news to me. I've been so busy with Council duties lately that I haven't gone to a proper meeting in weeks." Nohotoke Honne was genuinely confused as she scratched the back of her head with a sleeve-covered hand. "I assumed this was the President's idea since Onee-chan never mentioned it before. I'll see if I can talk to her during today's Budget meeting."

"Good idea, we're counting on you then!"

The class quickly shifted towards more speculations about the special event coming up. Ichika was even thrown into the conversation by some random comment that pertained to possible rewards for that particular tournament. He would never come to understand why he was unanimously voted for such a thing. Girls were just as confusing as he had thought, once upon a time...

"What am I, some kind of prize?"

One of his classmates giggled. "Nope, you're the _consolation_ prize!"

"They're the same thing!" The male cried out. "Wait, I thought I was the first place prize?"

Chifuyu watched silently before regarding the time.

Class was nearly 30 minutes in and Yamada had yet to return. Whether this is due to some unexplained situation that the green haired klutz can sometimes find herself in, or if the busty teacher was truly having trouble with her task, Chifuyu didn't know. But more importantly, the fact that the subject of her final announcement wasn't here meant that she'll need to skip it and begin class. She'll just have to make do when he arrives.

_And hopefully his delay isn't something similar as yesterday... _

Chifuyu shifted her attention to the noisy crowd of students and clapped her hands loudly.

"Alright, that's enough! You can continue your discussions after class so return to your seats and let's begin today's lessons. When you're ready, open to page 157 of your 'I-S Fundamentals' text book…"

* * *

><p>Naruto didn't know what to think of his current predicament. On one side, he's stuck between two voluptuous women squishing their assets on him, and on the other, his manly pride is in danger of getting flattened by this pink haired woman's knee. And to top things off they're all tangled up in thick white strings and dangling ten-feet above the ground. Should he be happy or afraid about this?<p>

_I'm definitely not happy!_ The blonde mentally screamed.

Today was supposed to be his big day as an I-S pilot in training and a full fledge Konoha Operative performing his first S-rank mission (or at least that's what he wanted to believe.) Just how the hell did he wind up in this mess?

"…Oh yea, it's because Ms. Bunny over here brought out her crazy gadget!"

The woman pouted in response, metallic bunny ears flattening ever so slightly. "There was just a minor malfunction during the deployment sequence, Na-kun. No need to be mad, I'll get it fixed in a sec."

"Like hell you will! You'll just make it worse! I'll get us out…"

The other endowed woman nodded her head vigorously in agreement. Not only was this very uncomfortable, she also lacked the necessary senses to grasp the situation. Was this even Naruto's back in front of her? Why does it look so odd?

"Okay, just scoot your arm over a bit Usagi, and—HELLO!"

Naruto jerked his head to the side and stiffened.

"Y-Yamada-sensei!" He squeaked out. "That's my butt you're touching!"

"!"

The teacher, blushing from embarrassment, flinched away as if stung. This wasn't her fault, she didn't know!

"Don't struggle you two!"

"Ah~n!" A moan suddenly escaped from the purple haired woman. "Naughty Na-kun, we haven't started dating yet."

"You did that yourself damn it! Don't act like I purposely did it!"

After a furious tussle with the other victims of this contraption, Naruto managed to cut them free with his hidden Kunai. Predicatively, they fell on the sidewalk with a grunt, and in Naruto's case, a face full of cement. That's what happens when he was stuck upside down with little room to maneuver and any coherent thoughts blocked by these distracting women. The end-result was unavoidable.

"Such misfortune." He grumbled out as he struggled to rise. "…Can you two get off me?"

"Eep~!" The green haired instructor leaped away and began bowing rapidly… in the opposite direction. "I'm so sorry, Uzumaki-kun!"

The other woman, now clearly identified as the illusive, yet famous scientist, Shinonono Tabane took her sweet time in helping him up.

"There we go! Now wasn't that a pleasant experience?"

Naruto gave her a look. "Usagi-san, I worry about you. Do you have a screw lose or something, 'cause who would find that pleasant?"

"I thought you liked being sandwiched by these?"

The emphasis of her breast caused the blonde to blush and sputter.

"I-I DO NOT!"

Off to the side, the green haired instructor had begun searching for her missing glasses and was desperately feeling the ground for them. With her vision impaired and her distress gone unnoticed—or ignored, which was probably the case here—Yamada was left with little choice but to struggle by herself.

Eventually, she found them near the bushes and was just in time to see the famous scientist make off with the blonde. The good doctor was talking about some experiments and missions for the young teen to do. Yamada didn't quite understand what the woman was going on about, but nevertheless followed suit.

"W-wait, Shinonono-sensei!" She called out. "Where are you taking Uzumaki-kun? He has classes to attend right now!"

They paused with Tabane glancing at her curiously before questioning the blonde. "Is this true, Na-kun?"

Naruto simply pulled out his crumpled schedule and handed it to her.

After a brief look, Tabane released him and pouted. It seemed her plans would have to wait for later. Education does take precedence over her own personal agenda. Likewise, the blonde didn't look too happy about getting dragged around like some ragged doll, so it was best to concede and try again some other time.

Naruto dusted his white uniform and warily regarded the woman next to him. Tabane may have complied with his sensei's unsaid demands, but she had yet to take her leave.

This posed a problem.

The cheery scientist was a trouble magnet whenever he was around, and it's made much worst when she wanted to 'help' him with anything. This often brought him to one question many times before: How the hell did he manage to attract someone like her in the first place? Was he that charming? Was it all those times he's played her personal knight in shining armor during her scientific excursions—those ridiculous missions that should be considered S-rank instead of C? Or was it because he's weirdly attractive…?

The blonde pondered over this thought briefly before reality drew him back. Tabane had taken hold of his uniform and was partly busying herself with a blue holoscreen…

…Wait a tick… a blue holoscreen?

"…What are you doing?" He hesitantly asked, previous experiences already fueling his suspicion.

Tabane's carefree smile was unsettling, leaving him feeling anxious and—to a certain extent—dreadful of the anonymous intentions lurking behind her placid eyes. After all, there's always trouble following smiles directed at him, most especially when it came from this particular woman. It practically painted one of his friends' favorite words: _'troublesome,'_ in bright neon colors—except this one promised either humiliation or pure pain of sorts. He just knew it!

The blonde turned to the only sensible person in their little group and mouthed a silent cry of 'Help me, sensei!'

"Don't worry Uzumaki-kun, Shinonono-sensei has given us the honor of using an experimental porting device she's created." Her face colored in pleasure as whatever fantasy she conjured overtook reasoning. "I can't believe I'm taking part of an actual experiment ~kya! I'm helping achieve scientific advancement. This is so exciting!"

The blonde's mouth hung open. _Did these two come to some kind of agreement with something while I was out of it? Whatever happened to getting to class?_

With his last salvation crumbling before him in fits of girlish squeals, Naruto reluctantly braced his problem with the only tactic he knew best…

"Exit stage right!" He abruptly cried out and attempted to bolt towards the school building.

He didn't get very far…

Tabane's surprisingly iron-like grip allowed him two-feet of freedom before he was pulled back to her side. This time he wouldn't be able to escape with any of the techniques he had mind. Not unless he was willing to sacrifice his dignity and quite possibly inflict unintentional harm upon her, then there were no other alternatives he could think of. There's also the fact that he is held in such a way that escape is rather impossible, believe it or not. This doesn't include his lack of subtlety _in_ escaping or his inability to modify memories like his sensei, Kakashi. He's still trying to gain practical experience, damnit! Those missions and training back home weren't thorough enough! Rather, he still had trouble understanding some concepts of the ninja art.

It's a wonder why his senseis; Kakashi and Jiraiya, and even his Baa-chan allowed him to be promoted to his current rank.

But, besides those, Naruto also did _not_ want to look like a pervert in the eyes of the green haired woman who was still off in her own little world. Yamada-sensei was just too darn innocent in his eyes for any of that—his first impression of her being too much of a klutzy house wife.

Really, that Kawarimi no Jutsu should have been perfected ages ago…

Sighing, he glanced up at the sky and asked. "Kami… Do you hate me?"

* * *

><p>Not everyone is a pervert waiting for a chance to fulfill their twisted fantasy. Some are actually quite innocent and just end up in very unfortunate situations with the fairer sex due to the unthinkable actions of others (and perhaps some unforeseen circumstances.)<p>

Naruto is one such a person.

The subsequent porting method used not a minute earlier proved to be too accurate and successful for its own good. He now found himself straddling one very red-looking Chifuyu Orimura on the ground, with his hands firmly planted on her ample breasts and sporting a look fostering enough fear to turn his usual tanned skin a pale white.

And yes… it looked like she didn't wear a bra today judging by the feeling beneath his palm.

"I… take it I'm in trouble, huh…?" The blonde managed to croak out.

"You…"

Naruto flinched and braced for the anticipated punch to connect, but, to his found surprise, it never came. In fact, Chifuyu had closed her eyes and looked to be maintaining her composure.

"Um…"

"Get off me Uzumaki." She calmly commanded.

Naruto complied almost instantly, scrambling to his feet and then helping her up. He looked sheepish and guilty for a moment until the deafening silence caught his attention.

"?"

Turning slightly, he finally took notice of the numerous students gaping at him with mixtures of surprise and disbelief. Given his involuntary entrance, Naruto understood why they'd look the way they did, although Ichika's own look of hostility became painfully apparent amongst them. It was like seeing a black wolf sitting in a crowd of bewildered sheep….

"…"

Okay. Make that a _disgruntled_ looking black wolf in a crowd of innocently bewildered sheep.

Scratching his head, he grinned apologetically. This was Usagi-san's fault, not his!

Thankfully, the young Orimura was interrupted before he could reprimand him for molesting his beloved older sister, despite the obvious misunderstanding and/or accidental misfortune…

…Or was it fortune?

"Everyone," Chifuyu called out loudly, shaking them out of their stupor. "It's rather late, but I'd like you all to meet your new classmate who just arrived here yesterday."

Taking that as his cue, Naruto hesitantly stepped forward.

"Um, Yo! Hehe…" He greeted with an awkward laugh. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, it's uh, a pleasure to meet you all."

And so with his impromptu introduction, Naruto, the "Konoha Operative" and I-S pilot in training, finally began his life in I-S Academy. Whatever adventure awaits him, no one knows. However, one thing is for certain, Orimura Ichika will definitely be waiting for him during break. And Naruto had a feeling he won't be receiving your typical 'warm welcome' between old friends.

_Great… just great…_

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note:<strong>

Alright, that wraps up my first chapter for this story. Hope you all had a good read!

Now to address a few things.

1.)OOCness on some of the characters? They're intentional and it's just for this chapter since I wanted to have some fun with them. Don't hate it, I'll try to set their character straight and develop them properly. Just read and wait.

**2.)**The special note I mentioned. Well, I've kindly made something uber nice for you readers of mine. Similar to fellow author L33t Horo, I also do my own art, but unlike him I do my fanfics uber slow lol. Sorry about that. But anyways**, FANART** anyone? Check out my profile and copy/paste the URL I've set in my Naruto/Infinite Stratos Crossover of the fanart section—the one that says _COMPLETE_. Enjoy the pic of _**Rin and Naruto**_ I made just for you all to view… well mostly because it was on my mind, but yea, I thought I'd share some visual illustrations :3!

3.)Don't expect an update anytime soon. I'm a slow guy and prefer to work on my own pace. A little bit of encouragement will go along way though… support the other authors of this section and give them some love too xD!

* * *

><p>I'd like to thank the following people for submitting stories to this section.<p>

**Krimzon-8**… DUDE! Hey, thanks for joining in man! Appreciate it! Uh, I also got some problems with some stuff so that thing you requested will take a bit more time, I think.

**I-Took-An-Arrow-To-The-Knee**... LOL, dude, that's a funny name xD! I like it.

**Axel Yamamoto**… don't get discouraged, yea? Keep up the updates!

**LIGHTNING THIEF**… awesome fic man, update soon!

**Kur0kishi**… I know I've seen you somewhere, but I can't remember… I'll check out your other stories, maybe it'll refresh my memories.

**Alchemists19…** one of my first reviewers here and now a fellow author of the section. SWEEET :D! I've read a couple chapters before I had to stop and bookmark it for later. I'll leave a review soon!

**Imperium Rhomania**... welcome to the section bro! Looking forward to your story ;3

Thanks guys! Total awesomeness for your contribution the section. Let's get some more people to join in, yea? Thanks again!

And lastly, Read and Review please! Have a good day.


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